INNICHEN, Italy — It was another successful day for Ottawa's Schmidt siblings on the World Cup ski cross circuit.
Jared Schmidt won gold in the men's event Thursdayafter leading the big final from start to finish, while Hannah Schmidt took bronze in the women's race.
Both skiers were coming off podium-topping performances last week in Val Thorens, France.
Jared Schmidt, who picked up his third straight World Cup win, also took a sizable lead in the overall standings. The Canadian and teammate Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C., were the only skiers in the top-10 to advance to the quarterfinal.
Schmidt leads the circuit with 312 points, while Howden, who crashed out in the small final to finish eighth on Thursday, is second with 152 points.
"I don't know. I've kind of known it's always been there, I just needed to find that extra gear and I think I found it," Schmidt said of his impressive start to the season. "I think we're rolling pretty fast now and I'm just excited to keep skiing and having fun."
France’s Nicolas Raffort, in his first big final appearance, took second place in a photo finish with countryman Youri Duplessis Kergomard.
Edmonton's Carson Cook was second in the small final and sixth overall.
Hannah Schmidt finished behind Sweden's Sandra Naeslund and Switzerland's Fanny Smith in the women's big final. She sits third in the women's overall standings with 237 points behind Naeslund (295) and France's Marielle Berger Sabbatel (270).
Marielle Thompson of North Vancouver, B.C., and Brittany Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Que., both advanced to the small final and were sixth and eighth overall, respectively.
The Italian World Cup stop continues with a second race Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2023.
The Canadian Press
